Summer Stars
by FoxyGrampaGlasses
Summary: Norman joins Neil, Mitch, and Courtney on a trip to spend summer vacation with Mitch's boyfriend in Gravity Falls, Oregon. There they meet a pair of quirky twins and endless oddities. Dipper/Norman. Neil/Mabel. Mitch/OC.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

I shifted my eyes around the wooded scenery silently. I still wasn't entirely sure why I'd agreed to this. Well, to be honest, I really hadn't. Thinking back on it, the only reason I was here was purely due to peer pressure. I had to admit that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but I was still horribly uncomfortable nonetheless.

It had been about a year since what I called Aggie's passing on. Mitch's boyfriend had moved to Oregon to go to a fancy university that I couldn't seem to remember the name of. The seasons rolled by one by one, though it didn't really seem like it in the forever fall town of Blithe Hollow, and soon summer was upon us. Mitch had been talking for weeks about going to spend the summer break with his boyfriend, and had dropped plenty of hints that he wouldn't mind company.

Neil had tugged my hand tightly in his and quivered his lower lip over his double chin. "PLEAAAAASE go with us?" he'd begged.

"Wha-Neil I. I-I dunno about..." I had stuttered involuntarily through a broken sentence, staring at his big, pleading eyes. I sighed heavily. "Yeah. Okay. I'll go with you." He immediately threw his arms around me, pulling me into a warm, squishy hug. I coughed and sputtered as Neil showered me with unfamiliar affection. Even after a year of being best friends, I still couldn't quite get used to it.

Neil noticed my distress and let me go, smiling sheepishly as if he'd just broken my fine china. "Oh sorry." he apologized softly. I brushed my jacket off, one hand squeezing my opposite arm nervously.

"Its okay Neil, thanks." I nodded my head, giving him a small smile. He perked up a little, his smile squishing his cheeks up and squinting his eyes ever so slightly.

"You'll have lots of fun I promise!" he said, waving his arms excitedly. "You know the town we're staying in? Its this weird place called Gravity Falls."

I lifted my head to meet Neil's gaze. Gravity Falls? I felt like I'd heard that name somewhere before. "What makes it weird...?" I asked hesitantly. Neil flashed me a toothy grin and leaned in.

"Theres all these spooky rumors about that place. Like magic and vampires and-" Neil glanced around to see if anyone was listening, which of course no one was, and turned back to me looking like a kid in a candy store (which admittedly he almost always looked like). "Ghosts!" he finally said.

"Sounds...interesting." I said nervously. Neil slapped me on the back encouragingly. I winced and fought the urge to cough.

"NORMAN." I gasped through my nose, my shoulders hunching, as a screech echoed through the neighborhood.

"Hey I think someone's calling you Norman." Neil said, looking around with great confusion. I sighed and nodded.

"Y-Yeah, I'll see you later Neil..." I said, waving goodbye to my friend and continuing on my walk home.

* * *

"And just WHERE were you?" Courtney questioned me as I rushed into the house. I stood for a few moments, panting.

"Talking. *huff* To Neil. *huff* He wants *huff* me to go with him *huff* and Mitch *huff* to visit Mitch's *huff* boyfriend." I swallowed as my feet scuttled out of my shoes. Courtney wrinkled her nose and flipped her hair. If I wasn't her brother I would have thought she was acting homophobic, but I knew she was really just a little sore from it. It seemed as though the more she got to know Mitch, the more she fell for him, despite knowing he was already taken before she even met him and by another guy no less. I didn't envy her.

"Oh." she said, sashaying into the kitchen. After catching my breath I followed her. "So what did you tell him?" she asked begrudgingly as she pulled out two glasses and poured both of us some orange juice. I scrambled up to the table and took a seat with her just as she sat down the glasses.

"I said I would go..." I answered, taking the glass in both hand and tilting it back to take a gulp. Courtney swished her juice around, her shoulders low. I put my glass down and wiped my mouth with my sleeve. "Did you want to...come with me?" I asked tentatively. Courtney blinked a few times, her eyes shooting up to meet mine.

"I don't know Norman." she said, her facial expression nearly impossible to read.

"I'm sure Mitch wouldn't mind. And I would actually..." I gulped, looking down at my hands and trying not to blush. "I would actually _like_ you to go with me." I shivered, my lips tugging down into a frown. "It can get real scary. Especially away from home..."

"Oh Norman..." Courtney sighed sympathetically. "Yeah okay." she said. "I'll tell Mitch I'm coming with you. Someone's gotta take care of your dork butt." I looked up to find her smirking and holding out her glass. I smiled back, and raised my glass. A tiny clink echoed and we drank our juice.

* * *

Flying on an airplane itself was not the terrifying part of our journey to Gravity Falls, Oregon. It was the ghosts that liked to wander in and out of the airplane that scared the ever loving snot out of me. One moment everything was dandy, everyone living and breathing, and the next suddenly we've picked up five hillbilly hitchhikers with more missing fingers than I could count. Why in the world would ghosts linger so high in the sky?

Luckily none of them stuck around for long. It helped if I pretended not to notice them. Courtney also held my hand through the entire flight, for her comfort or for mine I'm not sure, but it helped even so.

Finally we were on the ground, safe and sound. We gathered our luggage and went to go meet Mitch's boyfriend so we could make the last leg of the journey.

"Oh, there he is!" Mitch smiled, tugging my sister along. The buff older male let Courtney go and immediately pulled his arms around what appeared to be his boyfriend. I had only seen him a few times, the most memorable being Neil's birthday party. The chubby boy was rocking on his heels, just as giddy as Mitch was. He loved seeing his brother happy.

"Ah I missed you so much!" Mitch hummed, nearly crushing his boyfriend. The man laughed brokenly, straining to hug Mitch back. Finally the ginger let his boyfriend go and turned to introduce him since we'd never formally met. "So this is my boyfriend Seth." he said, taking the man's hand. Mitch then cycled through our names and relations.

Seth was scrawny and looked nearly like a toothpick in comparison to Mitch's muscular body. His hair was black and straight, a pair of wire glasses sat on his nose. He was definitely some flavor of Asian, though I admittedly couldn't tell which. He smiled kindly.

"Its very nice to meet you." he said politely. We all returned the gesture and headed to Seth's car.

As I sat in the car on the drive to Seth's house, I began to notice an odd sensation. Something about being around Seth and Mitch made my stomach feel uncomfortable. I scrunched my eyebrows and watched the pine trees zip by. It was probably nothing.

* * *

The first three days stretched on for what seemed like an eternity. Neil and I were sharing a room, the living room, while Courtney was set up in the guest bedroom so she could have her privacy. We unpacked and got settled. Seth and I bonded over several indie horror films I had brought with me. He was actually a pretty cool guy.

On the fourth day, however, Mitch and Seth dragged Courtney with them to get groceries for the weekend. Of course Neil had promised that we would stay inside, and by that he meant that he was going to force me outside, down a couple streets, take two rights and a left, and get lost in the middle of nowhere.

I sighed loudly, disturbing the silence and several crows that cawed angrily. "Neil we're lost." I said, stuffing my hands in my pockets. Neil was silent for a moment, contemplating my theory, before nodding confidently.

"Yes I think you are right." he said, looking very determined.

"Ughhh..." I grumbled.

"Hey hey hey!" Neil said, pulling me to a stop. He stood there for a moment, just listening. "You hear that?" he whispered happily. I listened again, catching the tiniest sound of muffled voices. "Someone's nearby!" he shouted.

"W-Wait, wait!" I called after him as he rushed into a cluster of trees. "W-Wait Neil you shouldn't run off!" I ran and yet somehow this chubby boy could still run faster than my chicken legs.

He disappeared into the trees and I rushed in, following the echo of his voice and crunch of his footsteps on the forest floor.

"Heeeeey!" Neil shouted once again.

"Dipper, did you hear that?" A voice answered.

"Yeah..." A second voice answered skeptically.

"Heeeey we're lost!" Neil continued shouting. Finally I caught up with the larger boy, my chest heaving for oxygen.

"Neil!" I wheezed. He turned and smiled.

"Come on Norman!" he took my hand and walked us towards the mystery voices. My mind raced as I tried to catch my breath. At the very least I knew if Neil could hear those voices then they were more than likely not from the dead.

We came into a clearing to find two kids, a girl and a boy, about our age, walking our way.

"Heeeeey!" Neil shouted jovially. The boy winced slightly.

"Okay you can stop shouting now." he said nervously. The girl gasped loudly and pranced the rest of the way toward us.

"I've never seen you guys around here before!" she smiled, showing off her silver braces. Neil smiled back.

"And I've never seen you either!" he answered.

"What a coincidence!" she giggled.

"Maybe thats just because we don't live around here..." I said, but somehow I felt as if I could hear an echo. Looking up I could see the last word hanging on the boy's lips, we had spoken in unison. We both blushed and looked away. Neil and the girl both bit their lips and exchanged glances.

"Hi I'm Mabel! And this is my twin brother, Dipper." the girl said, sticking her hand out towards Neil. The boy took it and shook warmly.

"The name's Neil!" he returned heartily.

"So what's your name?" Mabel asked, looking at me with a twinkle of admiration in her big brown eyes. I shuffled nervously.

"N-Norman..." I answered softly. Dipper instantly tensed and Mabel looked slightly uncomfortable. I gulped. "W-What...?"

"I dunno...he looks too thin to be made of gnomes..." Dipper not-so-whispered to Mabel. I grimaced. What in the world was he talking about? Mabel slapped Dipper's hand.

"There's no way they'd try that again. Not after the leaf-blower!" she laughed and shook her head, only confusing me further.

"I'm sorry for whatever I did..." I said hopelessly.

"Nahhh Dipper is just being a fussy pants!" Mabel insisted. Dipper coughed, looking irritated.

"So you guys said you were lost?" he asked, but somehow Mabel and Neil were already lost deep in their own strange garble of a conversation. Dipper and I winced, then noticing our mirrored reactions, laughed nervously.

"Um so did I...do something wrong?" I asked, vaguely aware of the time as the sun began to lower itself towards the horizon. Dipper shook his head.

"No not you..." he narrowed his eyes. "Er, I'm sure its nothing." he shook his head once more. He seemed pretty conflicted about something.

I had a lot of questions to ask him, but as usual I couldn't seem to find the words. So we stood in silence, watching our emphatic partners in crime laugh over things like the consistency of pudding. It was kind of relaxing.

"You sure you're human?" Dipper asked casually, his eyes looking off into the distance as if he were just asking about the weather. I flinched.

"W-W-Why would you ask that?" I coughed. Dipper raised an eyebrow.

"The last guy I met named Norman. Uh. Well he wasn't very..._normal_." he explained. I gulped, taking a step back.

"A-Ah Neil we really need to be getting back." I stuttered, tearing my eyes away from Dipper's intrusive glare. "Courtney will kill us if she finds out we left." I chattered nervously, linking my arms around Neil's and tugging him back towards the trail we'd come from. Neil frowned.

"Yeah, you're right." he sighed. "I'll see you later Mabel!" he waved to the girl. She smiled her toothy, metal smile and nodded.

"Come to the mystery shack! We'll show you around!" she glanced at Dipper who was still glaring though a little less intensely. She glared right back and elbowed him in the ribs. "Won't we Dipper?"

"Yeah yeah." he grumbled, rubbing his side.

"Until next time!" Neil shouted as we ventured back towards Seth's house.

From that point until Neil could no longer see the twins, he waved and shouted bye back and forth with Mabel, like a couple that couldn't decide who would hang up the phone first.

* * *

_**Author's Notes**_

I started posting this one tumblr so I figured I'd post it here. I think this story should end up being about five chapters long and hopefully can have some fluffy one shot spin-offs as well? So enjoy and tell me what you think!

_-AppleLove_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Neil waited anxiously until everyone had retreated to their rooms and gone to bed before scooting his sleeping bag over to the couch where I was laying. He giggled several times, poking me in the arm until I rolled over to face him and he clapped ceremoniously.

"What...?" I whispered, looking somewhat concerned. Neil just shook his head, looking giddy as could be.

"That girl!" he sighed, resting his chin next to my shoulder on the couch cushion. I rubbed my eyes, waking up a little more.

"You mean Mabel...?"

"Wasn't she amazing?" Neil said, struggling to keep his voice a whisper. I shushed him and looked around, but the only thing to be heard was the tin can sounds of the TV playing a vampire movie I'd seen a million times before. I turned back to Neil and nodded, letting my head fall back onto my pillow.

"Yeah she was nice." I admitted, but my expression was probably closer to depression than happiness. Neil recognized my submissive tendencies by now and settled his giggling.

"What? Is something wrong...?" he asked, lifting his head up from the couch. I squirmed under my blankets, ducking under them to avoid Neil's concern.

"No." I said through the layers of cotton, shaking my head.

"There totally is dude, spill it." Neil persisted, peeling the blankets back so I couldn't hide. I sighed.

"That boy...he asked if I was human." I explained. "But how could he know about me seeing ghosts?" I whispered in a panic, shaking my head from side to side nervously. Dipper had said the Norman he knew wasn't normal, and I cringed at just the memory. I could hear it echo through my head in the terrible sing-song voice of a mob of children-

_ParaNorman! ParaNorman! Nothing's normal about ParaNorman!_

Neil scowled, deep in thought. "Maybe he had a different reason for asking about it?"

"Maybe..." I whispered, involuntarily curling into a ball. Neil sat there for a moment, watching me.

"So is that why you rushed us back here?" he asked carefully. I nodded, my eyes shielded from Neil by my knees. "Ah Norman you can't let that get to you." he offered. I poked my head up just enough to glare at Neil.

"You don't get it. He was...he was glaring at me and acting like I was a-!" I puffed a breath, feeling my eyes water. My anger left as quickly as it came, my eyes falling from Neil to the carpet. "Like I was a freak."

"But Mabel was really nice, remember?" Neil said, trying to stir my thoughts back toward the positive. I grumbled.

"I don't wanna talk about it anymore." I sighed, rolling over and pressing my face into the back of the couch. I heard a small 'oh' come from Neil and then some shuffling and a few minutes later very loud snoring. I didn't particularly mind because I had insomnia and didn't usually sleep much anyway, but tonight it grated on my nerves that were already destroyed from my encounter earlier that day.

After about a half hour of listening to Neil's sharp snoring I kicked my blankets aside and jumped to my feet. Neil stirred but was too deep in sleep to wake up. I stormed over to the door, grabbing my coat and slipping my feet into my shoes on the way, and strode confidently into the night.

With my hands stuffed angrily in my pockets, I walked, and walked, and walked, and walked some more. My anger and energy slowly faded with each step further into the night. It was a surprisingly warm night on the west coast, far from home, in a strange place. I tensed when I saw a ghost glowing through the trees.

It was a boy. He looked at me, raising an eyebrow. And I raised both.

"What in the..." I whispered as I walked towards the ghost. "D-Dipper?" I gasped shaking my head. "What happened to you!?" the ghost laughed shaking his head.

"I don't think we've ever met." he said, floating at eye level now. "You must think I'm the Original." he shrugged his shoulders and pointed at the #2 on his cap. "Sorry pal, I'm only number two." he explained. I blinked a few times, rubbing my tired eyes. I tried to remember how many days I'd gone without sleep, wondering if I was finally starting to hallucinate.

"I-I don't-I don't understand." I shivered, looking around the dark forest. Why had I thought this was a good idea? What in my sleep deprived brain thought this would turn out okay?

"Ah you must not know." he said, looking at the moon that washed us in silver light. "See. There's a lot of weird stuff in this town." his eyes shifted back to me. "Really weird stuff. Being a ghost I've gotten an even better look at the things that happen when people think no one is watching." he looked uncomfortable.

"You must still be here because you have a final request." I mumbled. "Something you need to finish, right?" I said a little louder. Number Two nodded.

"What's your name kid?" he asked. My eyes fell to the ground and I shuffled my feet.

"Norman..." I answered. Number Two smiled wide and laughed, slapping his knee.

"Oh man! Thats just perfect." he laughed, shaking his head. I felt despair wash over me.

"What-Why? Why is that perfect?" I asked desperately of the ghost. He sighed, calming his laughter.

"Its a little hard to explain." he said, crossing his arms and smirking. I lowered my head.

"Dipper thinks I'm not human..." I fiddled with a loose string on my jacket.

"Lets just say...he has a good reason to think that." Number Two said. "But really, there is something I'd like you to do for me." I met Number Two's gaze and waited patiently for him to gather his demands. It wasn't unusual for me to walk away from meeting a new ghost with new responsibilities in my hands. Ghosts were needy creatures, their purpose in staying on this planet was only to get help.

"If I can, I'll help you pass on." I offered softly. Number Two nodded, looking the most serious since I'd bumped into him.

"Okay." he said. "This might sound a little weird, but. My final wish is that Dipper be happy." he explained. My eyes grew wide and my eyebrows scrunched together with apprehension.

"Y-You want m-me to make D-Dipper happy...?" I repeated. Number Two pursed his lips, thinking about it.

"Not you specifically. But I want you to make sure that _someone_ makes him happy." he hunched his shoulders. "He's really in love with this Wendy chick. Has been for over a year now. But its not healthy for him, you know? She's way older and just isn't interested. He needs to get over her." he explained the background to his request and slowly I began to understand. "So I can't leave until I know someone is going to stop him from turning into an obsessive maniac." he took a deep breath and stared at me real hard. "Can you do that for me?"

I gulped but nodded. "S-Sure I can try." I promised. Number Two smiled and relaxed.

"Thanks, you're a real pal." he said, nodding his head. He stood there, fading away, but I could tell he was observing me in great detail. "Also, you're really cute." Number Two smiled wide. "Oh yes I made a good choice to have you carry out my final will." he nodded confidently, and I could feel the heat radiating off my face. "Take care Norman." his voice echoed just as the last of his ghost faded.

With Dipper's ghost gone, my eyes focused on the moon. I was horribly confused and could feel a headache brewing. If that ghost wasn't actually Dipper, then where had he come from? I was starting to think maybe Dipper and I weren't so different after all.

I hoped that was the case, anyway, now that it seemed I'd be spending a lot of time with him. I glared at the ground, unsure how I felt about Number Two's last words. I could still feel the blush on my face and a tiny tremble in my hands.

No one had ever called me cute before.

* * *

After that late night escapade, I never snuck out again. Neil and I would go to the Mystery Shack most days to be with Mabel and Dipper, sometimes Courtney would even come along and chat with Wendy. On even rarer occasions Mitch and Seth would drop by. They seemed very pleased that we'd made friends with the locals, relieving their guilt for their excessive alone time.

I could still feel Dipper being distant, even after he'd decided I wasn't made of gnomes or some kind of abnormal being. My heart sank with the thought.

"Nothing's normal about ParaNorman..." I mumbled with a heavy sigh as I watched my three friends playing with left over silly string from their storehouse.

I wasn't an angry person, but I could feel these days beginning to wear on me. I was sleeping worse than I usually did, but no one seemed to notice or care. What did Dipper have against me? Yeah I talk to ghosts, so what! My hands curled into fists as they sat in my pocket, but my face remained calm.

I hadn't forgotten why I was here in the first place. To make Dipper happy. I flinched at the thought. I could feel darkness clawing into my head as I sat on that rickety front porch in the summer heat. I was sweating through my jacket but I refused to take it off. Dipper had narrowed his eyes and said 'suit yourself.' and left me in the shade.

From where I sat on that porch, I could see three lost souls milling about. They seemed satisfied as they watched my friends play. I felt anger boil in my stomach, filling me with nausea. If only they could understand how good they had it. My hands fell from my pockets and I gritted my teeth.

"This is _stupid_." I spat angrily as bright green lightning sparked from my fingertips. I gasped and scrambled to my feet, wiping my hands furiously over my jacket as if that would take back what I had just done.

"Norman...?" I heard Mabel call, and the other two boys stopped their laughter.

My face was pale as I stood there panting, my knees shaking. Neil rushed over to me, looking around.

"Was it a, you know?" he asked softly. I gulped shaking my head.

"N-No no it wasn't." I answered, my eyes gazing passed Neil. Dipper stood there with a cautious confusion in his eyes. My hands trembled and I pushed away from Neil, nearly falling. "I-I'm going back to the house!" I yelled, running from the Mystery Shack.

Neil must have stayed behind, because he wasn't following me. I let out a broken gasp and slowed to a walk once I felt I was far away enough. My heart was hammering against my ribcage so hard it felt as though the bones might snap. My thoughts flickered back to Aggie.

Was this how she felt? I gulped, still shaking. It was as if I was losing control of myself. My thoughts were being consumed by anger. I sniffed loudly.

"No i-its nothing." I whispered to myself. "Its _nothing_." I said it over and over again until I caught my breath and my hands stopped shaking, but deep in my heart, I knew it was most definitely not nothing.

* * *

I continued to visit the Mystery Shack with Neil despite my recently discovered crisis. Today Courtney came with us. I sat on the porch as usual, and Courtney sat on the roof with Wendy chatting about their past relationships.

Grunkle Stan, who was not someone I saw often, came through the front door and presented everyone with a cooler filled with otter pops. Mabel screeched in delight, rushing to be the first to taste the frozen treat.

"Yeah yeah, don't get too excited. I only got these because they were on sale." he grumbled, taking one for himself. Dipper high-fived Neil and they both picked out their favorite flavors.

I, however, stayed right where I was. I had no desire to be noticed. It was much safer this way. Dipper caught my eye somehow though, and before I could say anything he was walking toward me. I scrambled to catch an otter pop that he threw my way.

"So." he said, sitting next to me. "Why won't you take that jacket off?" he asked, fidgeting with the plastic seal on his otter pop. I watched silently for a few moments, he was getting nowhere.

"My grandmother gave it to me." I answered honestly. "I wear it everywhere." a small smile tugged at my lips. "Would you like me to open it...?" I asked, holding my hand out. Dipper glared, but handed it to me. I easily tore open the plastic and handed back to him.

"Oh-tch what?" he gasped, looking at me like I was a god. He shook his head. "You only opened it so fast because I wore it down for you." he concluded with a nod of his head. I only smiled in responce.

I was surprised to be enjoying Dipper's silent company so much. However, It was all ruined when a ghost wondered up to me. I gulped, my eyes growing wide. It was an old woman.

"Why how nice it is to see two young boys enjoying popsicles on a hot summer day." she cooed.

"M-Ma'am I'm sorry but I-"

"What?" Dipper questioned, that skeptical look on his face.

"Come on, tell Granny a story." she insisted, sitting in the rocking chair to the side of me and Dipper. I shook my head and Dipper scrambled to his feet as he watched the rocking chair roll back and forth.

"No please, you need to leave." I pleaded with the ghost.

"And why is that?" she seemed offended. I now fumbled to get on my feet as well.

"Norman are you doing this?" Dipper asked angrily.

"No I'm not I swear!" I said, staring into Dipper's eyes with great desperation. I turned back to the woman who was now floating so that I had to crane my neck upwards. "Please stop, they already think I'm a freak!" I was trying to whisper but wasn't quite able to through the shakiness of my voice. The woman glared.

"I want a story young man, you had better respect your elders!" and a strong gust of wind blew through the area, knocking all of us off our feet.

"What is going on!?" Dipper demanded.

"I don't-Its not my fault!" I cried, and the wind grew stronger. I shook my head.

"Stop this Norman!" Dipper was convinced I was the one causing this, and to a certain degree, he was right. Green lightning flickered from my fingertips again and I fought to keep control.

"F-Fine!" I shouted, with a burst of green light flickering in my eyes. The wind came to a stop, and the woman gasped. She looked spooked beyond belief and quickly retreated to the forest.

The light faded from my eyes and I was left panting, my hair and clothes all askew.

My three friends stared at me for some time, letting reality sink in.

"What." Dipper breathed in, staring me down. "Did you _do_?" I gulped and shook my head, covering my face with my hands.

"I'm sorry!" I cried. "It wasn't my fault I'm sorry!" I tripped backwards on an uneven board, falling hard onto the porch floor. The front door of the Mystery Shack screeched violently as Courtney ran to my side.

"Norman are you okay? What was that? Are you hurt?" she bombarded me with questions, resting one hand on my knee. Slowly, I let my hands fall from my face.

"No...I'm alright." I said softly. She shook her head.

"Okay we're going home for today." she said, looking at Neil. The boy looked disappointed but also terribly worried. "Come on Norman." Courtney grabbed my hand and helped me up.

"Come back soon." Mabel called, her usually cheerful smile lost under her concern. As we left the Mystery Shack, she turned to Dipper. "He's not a bad person and you know it." Dipper glared softly.

"Just something about him...isn't normal." he told his twin sister.

"And when has that ever been a reason to treat someone badly!" Mabel waved her hands angrily.

"But you saw him! He was like, talking to himself and-and-and _that wind_! That was _crazy_!" Dipper defended himself. Mabel shook her head furiously and stomped her foot.

"Thats not good enough!" she yelled. "He's not crazy, I know it." she argued. "Think about it this way. You do a lot of weird stuff too and its because you found that freaky book." Mabel could see she was getting to Dipper when he didn't immediately respond.

He sighed. "I guess I'm just being paranoid." Mabel rolled her eyes.

"You're always paranoid."

"And I guess you're right..."

"And I'm _always_ right!"

The twins laughed warmly and went back inside the Mystery Shack, brain storming ideas of how Dipper could apologize.

* * *

_**Author's Notes**_

BAM chapter 2. I would love to get another chapter uploaded tomorrow because I am oddly addicted to this story, but don't get your hopes up.

_-AppleLove_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

I sat on the floor, a blanket pulled snug around me as the heat let off for the night, and a bowl of popcorn in my lap. The TV flashed dull monotone light over the living room. I could hear Neil murmuring on the phone from the next room over. He had rushed me out of the kitchen area so he could talk to Mabel on the phone in 'private'.

I sighed, my eyes dropping from the TV. Memories of what had happened at the Mystery Shack stuck in my head no matter how many days passed (specifically seven days now). I couldn't help but fear that Aggie's fate would become my fate as well. I stuffed a handful of popcorn in my mouth and chewed slowly. Perhaps there really was something wrong with me.

Neil burst into the living room, ripping me from my deep thoughts. I coughed on popcorn kernels from the surprise, but Neil paid no mind. He flopped down next me, leaning his head on my shoulder. I flinched away, but let him stay.

"Mabel is so cute." he sighed, hugging me and the shooting up straight. I cocked an eyebrow, starting to feel a little worried.

"A-Are you okay...?" I asked nervously. Neil shook his head.

"No I'm _perfect_!" he smiled. His eyes watched me for a moment. "Haven't you ever loved someone?" his smile softened. My eyes widened as I noticed the sincerity in his voice.

"I...no. I don't think so?" I answered, feeling rather skittish. Emotions were so very hard for me to talk about. Neil just kept smiling.

"Mmm I bet you have. You just don't know it yet." he said, taking a big handful of my popcorn.

The TV continued to flicker with the movie, casting haunting shadows over the living room. When the credits started rolling, a loud knock came from the door. Neil shot up, as fast as his chubby legs would let him, and ran for the door shouting "I'll get it!" A room away I could hear Courtney mumbling about axe murderers but she didn't seem to find the threat very likely because she never got up to stop Neil from answering the door.

"Hey Norman!" Neil ushered me to the door where the Mystery Shack twins stood.

"Hey." Mabel greeted cheerfully. A few moments of silence passed before she elbowed Dipper and he sputtered softly.

"Uh h-hey Norman." he said, looking sheepish. I shuffled nervously.

"Hi." I answered, my head low. Neil pushed me out the door.

"Oh wow thats so cool okay Mabel and I are gonna hang out here you guys have fun bye!" and Neil slammed the door shut just as my foot left the door frame.

My eyes were glued on my ragged sneakers. I didn't like this one bit. I could hear Dipper stuttering, trying to find a conversation starter, which only made me even more nervous.

"So I wanted to apologize!" he blurted. I lifted my head, meeting his eyes hesitantly. He sighed, rubbing his arm. "I've been acting kind of like a jerk." he admitted. "I just wanted to say I didn't mean it. There are just a lot of...strange things in this town. I can get paranoid. I'm sorry."

Dipper and I looked at each other for some time, listening to a summer breeze rustling the pine trees around us. The porch light made it easy to see the blush on Dipper's nose and cheeks where the cold had bitten him, and I was sure I looked the same though not because of the cold.

"I talk to ghosts." I said softly. Dipper frowned.

"Wait what?" he questioned. My eyes fell back to the porch floor. I preferred he find out right away, instead of having a friendship that would later crumble away.

"I talk to ghosts." I repeated, feeling horribly defeated. "They like to bother me, make me do stuff for them so they can pass on." I explained. Dipper looked dumb founded.

"So. Really?"

"I don't know what you mean..."

"I mean...thats all?"

My eyes shot up to Dipper's. He was smiling, looking relieved. I shook my head. "I don't understand." I whispered. "You're not...freaked out?" Dipper smiled wider.

"No way, ghosts are old news here buddy." he laughed. "Oh man I really feel like a jerk now."

"Are you saying you can see ghosts too...?" I asked, hope in my eyes and voice, my fingers tugging at the knitted cuffs of my jacket. Dipper shook his head and my heart sank.

"No. But I had an encounter with some ghosts a while back." his smile was somehow soothing. "I really am sorry, the way I acted wasn't cool." he held out a fist. "Fist bump?"

"A what now?" I shook my head. Dipper laughed, taking my hand. I flinched, my cheeks flusher darker, but let him curl my hand into a fist. He then took me by the wrist and touched our knuckles together.

"See? Fist bump! It means we're cool, we're not fighting." Dipper explained, letting go of my wrist. I smiled sheepishly and nodded my head. That made sense.

"Yeah...I like that. T-That we're not fighting..." I whispered. Dipper and I exchanged smiles and I felt my heart skip a beat. As though I'd been punched in the gut, all the air left my chest. Number Two's words rung in my ears as I watched Dipper shuffle and I could feel my blush touching the tips of my fingers.

"So are there any ghosts around right now?" Dipper asked, slipping his hands into his vest's pockets. I looked around and shook my head.

"None that I can see." I admitted lamely. "I have seen a few around the Mystery Shack though."

"What? No way." he laughed. "That's crazy. So are they all friendly then?"

"Usually they are." I shrugged my shoulders and avoided Dipper's gaze. "But depending on how long they've been around, they can become very irritable."

There was an awkward pause. Dipper looked like he was contemplating something, sticking his bottom lip out ever so slightly.

"Was the thing that happened, the thing with the wind, was that a ghost?" he asked calmly. I winced.

"Y-Yes and no..." I answered, trying my best not to stutter. "At first it was a ghost. But...I was the one who made the wind stop." I shook slightly as I explained.

"Have you always been able to do stuff like that?" he asked, watching me carefully. I shook my head firmly.

"No I shouldn't be able to..." I shivered. "There was once a girl who could do things like that. She cursed my whole town. She wasn't herself anymore after that. All she wanted was to make everyone suffer. Because everyone treated her like a freak..." my voice drifted into silence, and by this point I couldn't stop shaking.

"Hey, you okay?" Dipper asked, shrugging off his vest. I shook my head, stopping him.

"I'm fine you don't need to do that..." I assured him.

"You wanna go inside?" he pointed a thumb toward the door. I bit my lip softly.

"N-No. Thank you." I said, tugging at my jacket.

"Well if it makes you feel any better, you're actually not very freaky." Dipper encouraged. I looked up from my hands that were clinging the chest of my jacket.

"But you-"

"I was a jerk, remember?" Dipper smiled apologetically. It took me a moment to find my breath again, but I smiled back as best I could, nodding my head.

"R-Right."

Dipper and I talked for hours in the dim light of the porch's overhead lamp. He told me about the adventures he and Mabel had been through, and about why he had been so skeptical of me. I blushed and fidgeted sheepishly, but Dipper assured me he was the one to blame for 'being such a jerk.' I laughed softly. He told me about where Number Two had come from, and I vaguely mentioned that I had spoken with his ghost. My cheeks lit up once again. Just thinking about Number Two made my heart flutter, his compliment immediately coming to mind with the sound of his name.

Eventually Mabel and Neil opened the front door, saying the twins needed to be getting home. Dipper held his fist up to me and I flinched, certain he was going to punch me, but after a moment of him standing static I realized he was asking for another 'fist bump'. I nervously raised my fist and pressed my knuckles to Dipper's. We smiled and waved.

Neil smiled knowingly as we watched the twins depart. I couldn't seem to calm my heart beat even long after Dipper had left and I was lying in bed. All I could think of was Number Two and Dipper.

I just had to know. If Number Two thought I was cute, did Dipper think that as well?

* * *

_**Author's Notes-**_

Its short but here yah are. Hope you're liking it because I'm having a blast writing it.

_-AppleLove_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"-And thats my 216 step plan to win Wendy's heart!" Dipper finished his nearly hour long explanation of his moment by moment plan for the next year with the end goal of finally dating Wendy.

Somewhere in the distance the crickets began chirping. My eyes became fixated on Dipper's animated face and hand gestures as he walked me through his fail safe plan. He seemed particularly encouraged to begin this ridiculous chain of events now that she had broken up with her longtime boyfriend. A slight breeze brushed passed me but I didn't flinch.

No words came to mind, my thoughts swirling around my head like the ice in our freshly stirred lemonade. Number Two had hinted at Dipper's obsessive tendencies but I was clearly unprepared for the whole truth of the matter. An abrupt finger snap in the face brought me back to reality and I gasped loud as Dipper glared at me.

"Did you hear _any_ of that?" he asked, quickly becoming nervous. "Should I repeat it?"

"No!" I blurted. Dipper scrunched his eyebrows as I avoided eye contact. I could barely sit through his ranting the first time through, and I was very certain if I were to listen to it a second time it would prove to be fatal. Though my reasons for feeling that way were somewhat hidden.

I couldn't place my finger on when exactly, but somewhere along this journey of friendship something snapped. No that isn't quite right, snapped makes it sound as if something broke. It was more like I found a whole other path through this social maze, one that seemed to branch out infinitely. It made my heart pound and consumed my nighttime musings.

Dipper confused me greatly, so much I found it hard to function around him.

"Was there something wrong with it?" Dipper pressed frantically, his hands gripping his mile long formula for romantic success. "Come on Norman, help a guy out!"

"N-No not exactly." I winced. What was the etiquette for such a delicate situation?

"Norman." he said very, firmly placing his hands on my shoulders. I gulped, feeling a blush spreading under my fair skin.

"Yes Dipper?" I squeaked.

"Two heads are always better than one!" he said with great spirit. "You're the only one around here who could give me any decent feedback. So, please?" he let his hands slip from my jacket, falling back into his lap. I shook my head.

"I'm no good with this stuff!" I argued desperately. At this moment I had yet to really understand what love was, or how a romantic relationship should work. It all seemed kind of intimidating to me. Images rolled through my mind as I tried grasping for any relevant information. A warm scene between Mitch and Seth surfaced in my panic. They seemed to be the most functional couple I had ever seen, and if I were to base my romantic life off anything it would be them.

Dipper deflated somewhat as I gathered my thoughts, leaning back against the wall of the Mystery Shack. He lazily removed his hat from his head and gazed out at the setting sun. My eyes drifted over Dipper, analyzing him silently. I pulled my knees up and hugged them to my chest as I watched with great curiosity.

His hair was terribly messy, but at least it didn't stick straight up like mine. I could see scabs and scratches littered all over his arms and legs. I figured with living in a dump like the Mystery Shack it wasn't surprising that he would spend a lot of time outside. His nose was red like he'd gotten a sun burn and I could see dirt packed under his unkempt fingernails. I began to wonder if his hair was as dirty as his nails.

I realized just as my hand left the wooden porch floor what I was about to do, and quickly retracted. Was it weird to do that? To just. Touch his hair? Without even saying anything? I searched my memory once more and remembered my very best friend Neil. I closed my eyes and took a breath. What would Neil do? I bit my lip. He had been spending so much time with Mabel, and thinking about their interactions. I quickly came to the conclusion that it couldn't be that strange.

I raised my eyes to look at Dipper just as he turned his head and caught me. I gulped but grabbed all my courage and lifted both of my hands up into his hair.

It was actually quite clean as it was usually protected by his pine tree hat. My heart fluttered with the contact as my thin fingers quickly became buried deep in his thick hair. I realized that I had never touched Dipper, even in friendly play. I didn't hardly touch anyone ever. It was new and strange and oddly wonderful to touch another human being, as if finally I could plant myself in the moment and firmly declare that yes, all of this was real and happening. And I would have said I was truly happy, but my smile dropped like a decapitated head when Dipper spoke.

"N-Norman...?" Dipper nearly whispered. I jumped and squeezed my eyes shut, my entire body freezing. "What are you doing...?" he asked. I could feel him shift under my hands but I couldn't find any spare courage to open my eyes with.

"I-I just wanted to know how your hair felt is all." I said with a fair amount of confidence, considering the situation, and for a moment all I could hear was the buzz of my nervous heartbeat in my ears. Dipper's soft hands gripped my wrists roughly and pushed them back towards my chest.

Anticipation ate away all of my fright and I popped my eyes open only to find Dipper gone. I swiveled myself around quickly, following the sound of footsteps, but was only met with the creaky slam of the Mystery Shack's front door. My heart fell straight from my throat to the bottom of my stomach with the force of a cinder block. I hunched my back, feel a terrible churning in my gut.

Perhaps Neil had not the best role model to use as my social beacon. My eyes drifted to my hands that had so bravely ventured through Dipper's hair. They still kind of tingled so I hastily rubbed them against my jacket. I pushed myself up onto my feet, stumbling a bit before gaining my balance.

There was one other person that might be able to help me.

* * *

I paced nervously back and forth in front of Mitch's bedroom door. It had been a week since 'the incident' and Dipper had successfully avoided me thus far. My heart was being crushed with guilt and worry. Did Dipper not want to be my friend anymore? Mabel said otherwise but I had a hard time believing her.

I planted my feet right in front of the door and gritted my teeth. I was absolutely desperate. There was nothing I could loose. So I raised my tiny fist and rapped my boney knuckles on the wood. I could hear shuffling and in a moment the door cracked open.

"Yeah buddy?" Mitch asked with a strained smile. I scrunched my eyebrows.

"Oh I'm sorry." I said, but shook my head. It was a battle to the death between my needs and submissive tendencies. "I mean, I need to ask you something." I said with a great deal of purpose in my voice.

"What's that?" he asked, looking a bit distracted. I would not be deterred, however.

"I need..." I bit my lip. "I need help. With a uh. With a boy." I fidgeted with my jacket sleeves, embarrassment washing over me. Mitch's body language, however, flipped like the switch of a light bulb.

"One sec." he said before hastily shutting the door. I stood there for a moment, feeling so lost I thought about telling him never mind and running away. The door swung open before I came to such drastic measures though and Mitch led me, with Seth, to the dining area. We all sat down at the round table. Mitch made a sideways glance at Seth, looking a little worried. Seth sighed but flashed a careful smile my way.

"Mitch tells me you're having a problem with a boy?" Seth asked as he adjusted his glasses and tried to put his unusually messy hair back in place. I squirmed in my seat but nodded.

"Y-Yeah..." I answered. Seth took a long breath, almost like he wasn't sure what to say next. I certainly didn't know what to say.

"Norman, do you like this boy?" he asked pointedly. I gulped, a blush burning my cheeks.

"I-I think I might I'm not r-really sure." I admitted with as few stutters as I could manage. Seth's smile reflected sadness, perhaps even pity.

"Tell me about him." I noticed Mitch lacing his fingers with Seth's.

"He's um. He's funny. I mean funny weird not funny haha." I clarified quickly. "He didn't like me much at first but. After I told him I see ghosts he's been a lot nicer. And he's got some pretty amazing apocalyptic survival skills..." I blushed deep red as I admitted such a telling quality of Dipper's personality. "I-I just don't understand!" I shook my head, started to feel anxious. "No one's ever made me feel quite like this..."

"Norman." Seth said with a soft chuckle. He turned towards Mitch. "I think this might be his first love." he said with the bittersweet experiences of reality ringing in his voice. Mitch nodded, returning the sentiment but not adding.

"B-But I messed it all up." I explained bitterly. Seth nodded, encouraging me to continue. "His hair just looked really soft and. And Neil does that sort of thing all the time. Touching people." I rambled on, watching as Seth shot a look at Mitch who shrugged his shoulders apologetically. "But Dipper thought it was weird or something and ran away. That was last week and I haven't seen him since."

"He could just be nervous." Mitch said, finally entering the sensitive discussion. He looked somewhat tired as he said it, like a great weight were pressing down on him. He squeezed Seth's hand. "Its hard but you gotta get him to talk to you."

"I don't think he wants to talk to me." I whispered.

"If you don't want to lose him, you have to talk to him."

"You are being absolutely RIDICULOUS Dipper!" Mabel yelled, flailing her arms about helplessly. Se just could not even anymore. She was completely unable to can. Dipper threw a pillow, hitting her right in the head, and scampered back under his bed sheets.

"This is a completely legitimate emotional reaction to last week's trauma okay!" he yelled back from under the covers. Mabel threw the pillow down, ready to have an all out fit.

"I have been stuck with you my entire life Dipper Pines and I have never once been more frustrated with you! Just what is the problem?" She slurred, her braces tugging at her teeth as usual. She stomped over to Dipper's bed, fisted the sheets, and ripped them off the boy.

The twins stared at each other for a good three minutes, a flurry of unspoken emotions being tossed about between the two of them. Dipper was, naturally, the first to cave. He curled his head towards his knees.

"Its just really confusing!" he admitted angrily. Mabel huffed, satisfied that'd she'd won but still frustrated with her brother.

"No its not! You just won't admit that maybe Wendy _wasn't_ meant for you after all!" Mabel crossed her arms, glaring daggers at Dipper. "You've been mean to Norman ever since he showed up and just when you two started getting along you had to get all weird about it."

"Nuh-uh!" Dipper shot his head up. "He started it!"

"Because he touched your _hair_?" Mabel scoffed. She shook her head, finally letting her anger go. "I know you like him bro." she said with a sly smile. Dipper blushed and turned away from his perceptive sister. "In fact I think you've liked him this entire time. I bet thats why you were so mean!" she giggled obnoxiously.

"That's not true." he grumbled. "He's weird and short and a guy and _not Wendy_." Dipper's voice shook slightly. Mabel stifled her laughter and sighed, rolling her eyes.

"I know you don't like me saying this but-" she said, ignoring Dipper's groans of protest. "Wendy is just too old for you. And she isn't interested!" Dipper grabbed at his heart and faked a heart attack, falling back onto his bed in false agony. Mabel squawked another puff of contagious laughter and soon Dipper was rolling over on his side and laughing with her.

"I think...I always knew that." he said as their laughter died.

"So you'll talk to Norman now right?" Mabel asked with great excitement. Dipper, however frowned.

"No I-I don't want to." he said stubbornly. Mabel threw her hands up in the air once more.

"Thats it I'm done for today! Dr. Mabel is out come back tomorrow!" she shouted as she headed down the hallway.

Even kind hearted, stubborn, always-in-your-business Mabel had her limits. She was an artistic genius, not a miracle worker! Besides. She had pressing responsibilities, such as managing her blog.

Surely Dipper would get over this before tomorrow.

* * *

**Author's Notes**

Wow I apologize for not having this uploaded a long time ago. Here it is hope it gets you through the next couple weeks it'll take me to get chapter 5 up ahahaha. Good luck you brave souls. This story is also on my tumblr is anyone prefers that. I don't think I can link it but my tumblr url is foxygrampaglasses dot tumblr dot com. You can follow the story there as well if you so desire.

_-AppleLove_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The shack was unnervingly quiet when Dipper finally came down the stairs sometime in the late afternoon. Mabel had left hours ago, still frustrated with Dipper. He'd sat on the wood floor boards, taking the chance to read a mystery novel that had been collecting far too much dust. He only came down when he ran out of reserved cheetos, or so he told himself. He nearly rushed back up to his room when he spotted Wendy's bright red hair. He froze, his foot hitting a squeaky floorboard.

"Hey Dip." she waved with a welcoming smile. Dipper deflated.

"Hey Wendy." he said, avoiding eye contact.

"What's the haps, little man?" she asked, turning back to fiddle with the jars behind the counter. Dipper jumped onto the bar stool behind the counter, shoulders hunched and eyes stuck on the gum just next to Wendy's heavy boots.

Could he really answer that honestly? His heart was a mess and seemed to turn his mind upside down. He was so used to numbers and equations and sociology and biology, not-not-not this! He _studied_ this, he wasn't supposed to_ live _it! His thoughts had been so scattered after talking with Mabel, and maybe-just maybe-admitting that he might _possibly_ not be the one for Wendy, maybe.

"Dipper?" Wendy asked again, looking over her shoulder with a hint of worry. "Something up?"

Dipper fidgeted with a loose button on his cargo shorts, shrugging his shoulders. He vaguely wondered what Norman was doing. Guilt bubbled in the pit of his stomach. If he closed his eyes, he could imagine Norman's thin fingers in his hair, and feel the panicked beating of his heart. Even if he could recognize that he and Wendy weren't a thing, were never going to be a thing, that didn't mean he needed to go running into someone else's arms. Dipper couldn't help but smirk at the thought. He'd never seen Norman hug, but he could guess it'd be pretty awkward. Norman always seemed to be avoiding contact.

"Yo Dip!" Wendy waved her hand in Dipper's face. He jumped, grabbing onto the barstool to steady it. "Come on." she said, crossing her arms and showing Dipper her full attention. "Spill it, bro."

"Its just-" Dipper hunched his shoulders, finding it impossible to look Wendy in the eyes. _You can't tell her! No way nope no. She'll think you're a creep. She'll HATE you. Dipper Pines you pull yourself together and lie._ Dipper took a deep breath trying to calm himself, opened his mouth confidently, and promptly drooped. Wendy raised an eyebrow.

This conversation was four years overdue. If he were being completely honest with himself, he wanted to tell her. He couldn't stand it anymore. His small, boyish hands gripped at the bar stool underneath him. This was it. He was going to tell her. _You got this Pines._

"Dude seriously, what is up?" she asked. "Oh wait, wait, is this about that Norman kid?" she smiled.

"W-What!?" Dipper said frantically. "No-no, _no._ Just listen!" he blew out a heavy breath and shook his head. "I've kind of...I've sorta-" Dipper locked eyes with Wendy, suddenly feeling the guilt multiply by one hundred. "I've been in love with you." he squeaked, watching Wendy's blank expression. Why wasn't she reacting? Dipper's eyes darted around the room, unable to hold back his nervous laughter. "Yeah, for like, a couple years or something?" he said. Wendy's lips curled into a smiled. Dipper's heart felt so heavy in his chest. "Yeah-okay, so. While it's out there, you, uh, w-wanna go out?" he asked. Wendy bit her lip.

"Oh no, this is what you're so nervous about?" she asked, her smiled turning apologetic. Dipper could have sworn he heard the crash of his heart shattering on the floor.

"No! I mean yes? Maybe, I don't know..." he said, voice laced with defensive anger.

"Settle down, Dip." she said, uncrossing her arms. "I mean, I knew you had a thing for me when you were a kid, I guess I still think of you as a little brother. I never really thought you were _serious_."

"Wha-you knew?..._Not serious_?" Dipper spoke as if all the air had been punched right out him. His expression was pure heartbreak.

"Ah, sorry." she said quickly. "I'm just. Too old for you kiddo. Interested in older men." she paused. "And some older women, but that's not important." she smirked, leaning against the counter. "The point is, you gotta let this go man."

Dipper could feel his lip quivering. He drew in another deep breath through his nose. "B-But I would be great for you-" he tried, but Wendy shook her head and held up her flat palm.

"I'm gonna stop you right there." she said, looking serious but still quite apologetic. "There's nothing you can say. It's not happening. Not now, not tomorrow. I think of you as a little brother, and I'm not dating my little brother." she watched Dipper's face droop as she spoke. She sighed, then flicked the flap of his hat. "_Listen_ Dipper. One day you'll be really happy I said this stuff." she said. Dipper jumped off the bar stool, stuffing his hands into his pockets. His face went from hurt to annoyance like the flip of a switch.

"Yeah right." Dipper mumbled. He turned to leave, kicking the one of the bar stool's legs. He gasped as it fell, just barely able to catch and right it. He growled and stomped out of the Mystery Shack. He was messing everything up. He couldn't even make a proper cool-guy exit.

He could hear Wendy shouting something like 'for your own good' just before the creaky wooden door slammed shut. Dipper stumbled, falling back and resting against the door. The trees rustled, and the cicadas chirped, and the world moved on but Dipper couldn't register any of it. He felt like trash. He felt like crying and wouldn't admit it, not even to himself, if a few tears streamed down his face.

What was he supposed to do now? Four years, it took him _four years_ to tell Wendy how he felt, and the exchange had taken less than five minutes! Everything in him seemed to ache. Worst of it, he'd barely tried to argue at all. His mind was already running through all the different possible scenarios that could have led to Wendy's acceptance. The fists in his pockets twisted. _But does that matter, if she doesn't love me back? She never said or even hinted that she loved me._

"-make sure he stays inside."

Dipper cringed, swiping his hand across his totally-not-teary face. He could hear Mabel's voice in the distance, accompanied with heavy footfalls, probably Neil. He looked around. There wasn't anywhere to hide, and only one place to go. He jumped down the Shack's porch stairs and made a dash for the surrounding forest. He thought he might have heard Mabel yell his name just as he disappeared into the thick of the trees, but he paid it no mind. He was so far from being in the mood to talk to her.

Dipper didn't stop running, dodging trees and wildlife, until his lungs were on fire and he was sure they were going to burn through his chest. He bent over, hands on his knees, breathe leaving his body in ragged gasps. He looked back, but saw only forest in every direction. He wasn't sure how long he stayed like that, bent over and breathing like he'd run a marathon. Maybe it was several minutes, maybe it was a half hour. He just couldn't tell.

Dipper straightened and forced his breath to even out. His mind had gone blank, but thought of Wendy and Norman were clawing at the edges of his focus. He growled at no one, looking around. He wasn't even sure which way he'd come from.

"Ah great." he sighed, shaking out his shoulders. "Whatever, this is fine. I didn't want to see anyone anyway." he reassured himself. However the setting sun was putting a nervous thrum in his veins. He really must have been out here for a while. "It's no problem." he said, starting to walk in no particular direction. Half of him thanked the fear of what could be lurking in this creepy forest for overshadowing his less life threatening crises, and half of him couldn't help wondering if Wendy had already found a new boyfriend. Or girlfriend?

"Fuck." Dipper whispered, rubbing his hands over his arms. It was starting to get cold, and he still hadn't found his way back to the shack yet. "I don't understand, I've gone through this forest like _a hundred times_! How the heck am I lost!?" he complained rather loudly. "Wait a-" Dipper squinted, seeing a strange, greenish light in the distance. It flickered, and he assumed someone had come looking for him. "Ah finally." he sighed, walking towards the light.

"Mabel?" he called with a hand cupped around his mouth, but just as he got close the light went out. "What...?" he said, and just like that a new one appeared just a little ways down the path. Dipper squinted, rubbed at his eyes, squinted some more. Was he dreaming or something? Something was tugging at the back of his mind. He knew...somewhere deep down, that he absolutely should NOT follow that light, but he couldn't seem to remember why. He was sure he was forgetting something...but _what_?

* * *

"Are you coming?" Neil asked, but he was tugging me out the door by my sleeve and there was clearly not a choice in the matter.

"Uh-yeah." I mumbled, letting him pull me towards the mystery shack. I wanted to protest, but I'd already made up my mind. Mitch was right. I needed to make Dipper talk to me or this would never get fixed. Neil's hand slipped from sleeve, gripping mine gently. I returned the grip, my other arm hanging at my side.

"Everything's gonna work out, you'll see!" he said, squeezing my hand.

"I dunno Neil." I admitted softly, barely heard over the wind.

"Mabel's got it all worked out. She said she'd keep Dipper in the house and lock you both in a room so you _have_ to talk!" he said, a soft smile on his round face.

"That's. That's great Neil." I said, feeling terrible skeptical of the whole thing.

The crunch of gravel and leaves under our feet seemed deafening. I could see the shack, not even a hundred fee away. My every nerve felt on edge, ready to fire at any moment. My muscles were rigid.

"Norman!" Neil said, trying to tug his hand free of mine that had him in a death grip. I gasped, letting go of him.

"Oh s-sorry." I shook my head, holding my hands to my chest. Neil smiled.

"Its alright buddy, you're just nervous. Come on!" he pushed me forward. I stumbled, trying to take the porch stairs as carefully as possible. Neil ran up alongside me, bursting through the door.

"Mabel, we're here!" he said. She ran down the stairs.

"Neil, Norman!" she said, eyes wide. "We've got trouble." she ushered us back outside, waving to Wendy who couldn't hear a thing through her thick headphones.

"Mabel?" Neil asked. She looked around nervously.

"Dipper ran out into the forest. I went looking for him, but he was too fast. I have no idea where he is and he won't answer his phone and it's too late for him to be out there alone and Grunkel Stan isn't here, I don't know what to do!" she sucked in a loud, heavy breath. My fingers tugged at my jacket's long sleeves. This didn't sound good at all. I turned away from my friends, my eyes looking around the forest edge.

"How well does Dipper know this forest...?" I asked quietly. Mabel sniffed. She looked far too close to tears.

"Like the back of his hand. He's spent every summer since we were twelve mapping this place out." she said. Neil took her hand, holding it firmly. She flashed him a weak, silvery smile. This was starting to look serious, though.

A flicker of light caught my attention. I slid my eyes slowly to my right. It was a tiny little ghostly green flame, flying just above a fairy circle of mushrooms. I frowned, squinted, took a step forward, and the flame vanished. My eyes flew open wide. _Wil-o-the-Wisp_.

"Oh no." I said. "No no no." I shook my head. "Neil I'll be back." I said, running straight into the forest.

"Norman!?" Neil yelled, leaning on the toes of his shoes, almost as if he couldn't decide if he should follow me or not.

"It's fine, Neil, I'll be back soon, with Dipper!" I yelled back to him just before disappearing into the overgrown forest.

I slowed down to a walk as the light was shut out by the thick trees. I moved slowly, taking each step with caution. If I was right, I needed to get their attention. The faintest flicker of light looked like a blinding blaze in this thick darkness, and my eye clung to it.

"Dipper?" I yelled, moving towards the light. A muffled giggle filled my ears as I got closer. "D-Dipper...?" I asked once more.

"Ohh, are you here to play?" a voice answered.

I stopped several feet away from the wisp, only I could see its true identity. It was a boy, a soul, a ghost. He was dressed in khaki shorts and rumpled socks with an ascot tied loosely around his neck. _Boy scout_. He swayed from side to side playfully. His eyes blurred, but he wore a distinct, wicked grin.

"Looking for friends is hard." he said, his ghostly voice echoing. "Are you looking for a friend?"

"No." I said. The boy flinched, clearly surprised that I could not only see but also hear him. "No I'm actually just trying to get out of this f-forest." I stammered, desperately trying to sound convincing. "I came looking for my..._cat_. I-I actually don't like strangers." I took a deep breath. "But I'm really lost. Could you help me...?"

The boy was stunned. For a moment I was sure he'd disappear, wisps were shy creatures, but this one seemed far more curious. He floated closer, circling around me.

"Lost you say...?" his face split into another impossibly large grin. "Oh yes I can help, yes certainly!" he laughed. "Just follow the light!" he said cheerily.

"T-Thank you so much." I said, quickly running after the flickering flames just ahead.

"You're-" he paused dramatically. "_Very_ welcome."

I tried to hide the shiver that ran down my spine as his voice faded and all that was left was his trail of wisps. _I'm coming Dipper_.

I ran passed nearly ten wisps before I heard the echoing of footsteps on dead leaves. My heart pounded in my chest, but I took my steps just as carefully as I had before. The wisps couldn't know my true intentions. As the steps became louder, I couldn't help myself. My feet seemed to pull me into a sprint when I noticed a certain pine tree hat.

"Dipper!" I waved my hand high above my head.

"W-Wha-?" he turned his head just in time to see me before I crashed into him.

We tripped over eachother and tumbled to the ground. My reservations about physical contact discarded, I held tight onto Dipper's wrist. His free hand grabbed at his hat, holding it to his head.

"Wha-Norman?" he gasped. I winced, throwing a finger in front of my lips and shushing him harshly. He glared, expression thick with confusion, as I looked around the forest. After a moment, I let out a tense breath.

"I-I think it's okay for now...come on!" I whispered. We helped each other onto our feet and I tugged him back towards the shack. Dipper tried to protest, but I didn't let him speak until we were all the way back inside the Mystery Shack and up the stairs, in his bedroom.

Mabel scampered up off the floor where she was sitting with Neil and tackled Dipper and I both. Neil jumped up, a bit slower, and turned it into a big dog pile. I squirmed desperately, feeling near suffocation. I didn't call Neil my best friend for nothing, however, and pulled Mabel off me as soon as he saw my struggling.

"I was SO _FUCKING_ WORRIED!" she yelled, hugging Dipper tightly, and then promptly punching him on the arm.

"O-Ow-ow!" he said, laughing nervously as he rubbed his arm. "It's okay Mabel, I'm fine." he said, hugging her back. "I'm sorry I worried you." they clung to each other for a moment, Neil patting me gently on the shoulder. I let out a heavy breath, showing my friend a grateful smile.

"How'd you find him?" Mabel asked, loosening her grip on dipper.

"I-I just." I shrugged my shoulders. "I saw a wil-o-the-wisp." I said, all eyes meeting mine with confusion. "D-Do you guys not know what those are?"

Dipper glared for a moment, letting Mabel go and pulling out a beaten book from under his bed. He stood in the moonlight filtering in through the window as he thumbed through the book.

"Goddammit." he sighed, shoulders sagging and eye closed. "I knew there was something I was forgetting, they just seemed-I don't know, really inviting." he said, opening his eyes to look at me.

"I-It depends what region you're looking at, b-but most people in America believe the wisps are souls of the dead and I-"

"See ghosts." Dipper nodded.

"...Yeah. They like to trick travelers. Lead them astray." I pulled my knees up to my chest, sagging against them. "I had to lie to the wisp so they would lead me to you. It's dangerous lying to spirits."

"Why'd you lie?" Neil asked as Dipper settled back on the floor with the rest of us.

"They're tricksters. If I'd said I was looking for Dipper, they would have sent me in the opposite direction." I explained. Dipper traced the three on the book's cover with his finger. "So I...I told them I really didn't like strangers. And they led me right to Dipper." I gulped, my throat sticky and dry. Dipper looked up from his book.

"Thank you, Norman." he said, his pensive glare melting into a gentle smile. I nodded, returning the smile sheepishly. Mabel nudged Neil with her elbow suggestively and I could see them share mischievous smiles out of the corner of my eye.

"You guys wanna spend the night?" she asked, eyes darting from to Neil expectantly.

"Sure!" Neil nodded.

"A-Ah I don't know..." I said, sitting up a little straighter.

"Normannnnn!" Neil whined, scooting over to me and draping himself over my shoulder. "_Pleaaaase_." he exhaled dramatically. I frowned. One of these days I would tell Neil no, and really mean it. That day was not today.

"Just...let me call Courtney." I said, pushing him off of me and getting on my feet. I walked into the hallway, pulling out my phone and calling my sister. She seemed fine with it, only asking once if I was alright. I assured her I was fine, just lost track of time.

"Okay, well stay safe dorkbait." she said. I laughed softly.

"Night Courtney." I said, hanging up the phone. I tucked it back in my pocket, taking a moment of silence to breathe. My nerves still felt a bit fried, which might be why I jumped so high when I heard the creak of the door behind me. I spun around to see Dipper closing his bedroom door carefully.

"Hey, uh, Norman." he said, looking a bit uncomfortable. Well that made two of us.

"H-Hey Dipper." I answered lamely. There was a beat or two of awkward silence, an awkward breath, and awkward simultaneous attempt to speak. I shook my head. "You first please." I said, holding my hands to my chest. Dipper watched me for a moment.

"I just wanted to say sorry about. About that thing. That not talking to you thing?" he smiled nervously, taking off his hat and running his fingers through his hair. I nearly spoke out loud my amusement with the irony of him touching his hair, when that had been the whole start of this issue, but I held it back.

"It's fine." I shrugged, blinking unnecessarily.

"No-it's really not." he pleaded. "That could have been really bad for me! And considering how I was acting, how I've been acting this entire summer-you just really didn't need to do that. But you did. And that means a lot." he said.

"U-Um, you're welcome Dipper, really." I said, though it probably didn't look very convincing. Dipper's shoulders relaxed, and then his arms were outstretched.

"Hug?" he asked gently. I took a step back, shaking my head, a spike of panic in my heart. "Right, right." he said quickly, dropping his hands. "Sorry."

"No _I'm_ sorry." I shook my head, wrapping my arms around myself. "But...thanks for trusting me."

After a moment, Dipper nodded, taking the door knob in hand. "Yeah, I think...I need to start doing that a little more." he said, opening the door. I followed him back into his room. Mabel was tickling Neil and their laughter was horribly contagious. Before long we were all a heap on the floor laughing about nothing in particular.

For now, it didn't matter 'what' Dipper and I were. I was content just to have his company again.

* * *

_Author's Notes-_

_Ahhh so sorry for the long wait! School kept me far too busy. But I am newly graduated and have finally been given a massive amount of free time while I job hunt. I am planning to finish this fic in about four more chapters (I think), and have been thinking about a sequel. In any case, thank you for waiting. I hope you enjoyed it!_

_-FoxyGrampaGlasses_


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